Circular knitting machine



Dec. 13, 1932.

J- L. GETAZ CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug.

1. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ticlnl.

INVENTOR JAMES L. GETAZ 55 72219 atEoz-ngys Dec. 13, 1932.

J. L. GETAZ CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE M NJ fl "NH I I lava II' W" 1 1. IM H INVENTQR JAMES L.GETAZ ZZIS aiZorngy-S Dec. 13, 1932., J. 1.. GETAZ CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 1, 1930 INVENTOR his a23arn8l$ JAMES L. GE AZ Dec. 13, 1932. J. L. GETAZ 1,891,204

. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. l, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 7 JAMES L. GETAZ 972215 Lazar/ a Fatented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. GETAZ, OF MABYVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS, IN- CORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Application filed August 1, 1930. Serial No. 472,354.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines and more particularly to circular knitting machines adapted to make patterns by lapping plating threads around vertically selected needles. One object of the invention is to so improve the mechanism for making the so-called lap stripepattern that a greatly increased variety of patterns can be pro duced with reduced wear and tear on the machine. In machines of this type the lap stripes are put in by a plurality of pattern yarn fingers revolving about a common axis, each finger also oscillating'about an individual pivot point and the path .of the feeding ends of the yarn fingers intersecting the needle circle. r

The invention will be shown and describe embodied in the well known Scott & Williams type of revolving needle cylinder seamless hosiery machine.

Tn the drawings- Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, through the head of a Scott & Williams machine in which one form of the invention has been embodied;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the pattern yarn fingers and the cams operating them, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the pattern yarn fingers being shown inaction;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing I the pattern yarn fingers withdrawn from action;

F igure- 4 is a right side elevation of the mechanism which moves the pattern yarn fin-' gers from active to inactive position, the

latch ring and outside sinker cam cap being partly broken away;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the yarn fingers and portions of the two cam discs operating them, showing the relation of the pivot points of the fingers to the cams;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the lower or idling cam disc for the pattern yarn fingers;

Figure 7 is a similar plan View of the two disc cams for the pattern yarn fingers; and Figure 8 is a development of the knitting cam ring of the machine, the horizontal arrow showing thedirection of movement of the needle cylinder.

The invention is shown in the drawings embodied in a circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder 260, carried on a bedplate B, the needles n being independent of each other and vertically movable in slots in the needle cylinder as usual. There are the usual inside sinker ring 297, outside sinker cam cap 300 and latch ring 550 with the usual throat plate 559 (Fig. 8) over which the body or ground yarns are fed as usual by the main yarn fingers F. In the machine shown in the drawings there is a yarn shear plate 26 inside the needle circle, this plate being carried in a non-revoluble manner by a bracket 15 on the latch ring 550. On the plate a yarn cutter and clamp 609 can be mounted if desired.' The latch ring 550 is pivoted on a bracket 401 at the rear of the. machine (Fig. 4) as usual. This bracket 15 alsoserves to support a long vertical tube 22 for the yarns and which, (in this example), is eccentrically mounted with relation to the center of the needle cylinder. This tube carries the pattern yarn fingers 24 and extends from a point opposite the inside sinker ring 297 to a level well above the bracket 15, there being a bobbin stand 21 on its upper end with the pattern yarn bobbins 20 mounted thereon.

The tube 22 and pattern yarn bobbins and fingers are revolved in unison with the needle cylinder by mechanism which will now be de scribed. Where the tube 22 passes the bracket 15 it has a horizontal bevel gear 9 keyed to it by a spline 9 the gear 9 being operatively engaged to a small bevel pinion g on a horizontal shaft 14 carried -in a bearing of the bracket 15. The shaft 14 extends radially outward to a point beyond the needle circle and on its outer end has a sprocket wheel 47 connected to a sprocket wheel 45 by means of a chain 46. The sprocket wheel 45 turns freely on a horizontal support 552 on the latch ring 550 and is integral with a vertical bevel gear 44. This bevel gear meshes with a. horizontal bevel gear 43 associated with a vertical drive shaft 13 joining the usual mechanism which drives the needle cylinder. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the bevel gear 43 is not mounted directly on the drive shaft 13, the bevel gear being located somewhat to the rear of the central line of the needle cylinder and the vertical drive shaft 13 preferably being located on that center line. This bevel gear and the shaft 13 may be connected by means of sprockets and another sprocket chain 41 therebetween.

The pattern yarn fingers 24 are supported by a plate 23 underlying them and fixed on the lower end of the tube 22. Each pattern yarn finger has a pin screwed into the plate 23 and projecting through it on the upper side acting as a vertical pivot point 30 for its individual finger. These pivot points are fiush with the upper faces of their fingers. The outer ends 28 of the fingers are the feeding ends and are curved backward, i. e. assuming the common support 23 turns in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 the feeding ends are bent in a clockwise direction. The tails of the fingers have pins or studs 29 projecting upwardly from them and the tails are nearly at right angles to the feeding ends. Each stud 29 is very much closer to its pivot point than the feeding end and is so located that when the finger is crossin the needle circle or moving along the outsi e of the circle, practically the entire movement of the stud 29 is radial. Thus in Fig. 2 the stud 29 of the finger G is just crossing out through the circle formed by the pivot points of the fingers as the finger moves back along the outside of the needle circle. This oscillation of the pin in the neighborhood of the circle described by the pivot points is a valuable feature of the invention.

The construction described makes it possible to operate the fingers by cam means which extend radially outward beyond the pivot points of the fingers. As part of these means there is an upper fixed oval cam disc 25 overlying the fingers and held against rotation by screws 25 (Figs. 2 and 7). This lies in the plane of the studs or pins 29 in the tails of the fingers and tends to push the tails outward at the appropriate time during each revolution of the machine. To hold the pins 29 in against the edge of the cam disc 25 at all times a spring band 27 is provided though it will be obvious that an individual spring could be provided for each finger if desired. This cam disc 25 and the eccentricity of the common aXis about which the fingers revolve cause the necessary intersection of the feeding ends of the fingers with the needle circle to wrap the yarns. It will be noted that, in the example shown, movement of a pin 29 radially inward moves the feeding end of the finger forward relatively to' the needles and that movement of a pin radially outward causes movement in a clockwise direction.

When it is desired to cease patterning the oscillation of the fingers about their pivots can be stopped by manipulation of an oval cam disc 50 underlying the disc25 and overlying the fingers 24. This disc is pivoted on actate one of the screws 25 and when swun toward the closest point of approach of the support plate 23 to the needle circle offers a high face to the pins of the fingers at that point thus pushing the pins out and causing the feeding ends of the fingers to retire inside the circle as shown in Fig. 3. The retirement of the fingers at this point stops all wrapping of the pattern yarns. he discs 25 and 50 are in effect a split cam. The manipulation of the disc 50 is causedfrom the main pattern drum 120 of the machine (Fig. 4) by means of a cam 501 on the drum acting through a thrust rod 460, a bell crank lever 463 pivoted on the latch ring 550, and a bent rod 462 attached to a pin 461 projecting upward from the disc through an opening 464 in the stationary disc 25 (Fig. 7). When the thrust rod 460 rides up onto the drum cam 501 the disc 50 is projected, the fingers retired and-patterning ceases. It will be noted that the two discs are perforated to permit passage of the tube 22 therethrough.

In feeding the yarns through the tube 22 it is preferable to feed the yarns throu h separate passages by placing a filler 52 in t e tube 22 whose surface contains a separate longitudinal groove 51 for the yarn for each finger. The yarns can then be threaded fromthe bottom of the tube 22 to the upper sides of the feeding ends of the fingers as shown in Fig. 1.

The needles which are to be wrap ed can be selected vertically by any desire means but for purposes of illustration I have shown a series of selecting butts 37 on the tails of the needles and a series of radially movable selectin canis 36 on the cam ring 271 (Fig. 8). When patterning is desired the leading stitch cam 360 is lowered to dotted position and the raising cam 33 is lowered to its dotted position (Fig. 8). The desired needles can then be raised by the cams 36 until their regular operating butts are above the level 31 while the other needles move along with their butts at the level 31. The lowering of the leading stitch cam 360 prevents the pattern yarns from being cleared prior to passage of the needle through the knitting cams. However the latches of the needles are cleared of their ground or body stitches because these stitches are under the sinker nebs. Mechanism for thus manipulating the stitch cam 360, the cam 33 and the selecting cams 36 can be of any desired type.

The operation of the mechanism will now be described. Assuming that patterning is proceeding the selection of needles is taking place as in the previous paragraph. The thrust rod 460 is down on the surface of the main pattern drum 120 and the pivoted cam,

the yarn from the feeding end of the yarn finger goes to the last needle of the selected group. The finger is retired. As the finger comes around to the front of the machine the pin 29 meets a part of the cam disc which is not as far out over the pivot point 30 of the finger as at point A. The feeding end of the finger therefore travels forward past the needles to which its yarns are attached and simultaneously the feeding end of the finger is approaching and crossing the needle circle. The pin 29 under the pressure of the spring band 27 reaches its furthest point radially inward with relation to the circle-described by the individual pivot points after the feeding end of the finger has crossed'out over the needle circle in advance of the group of selected needles. The pin then meets a high point on the cam disc 25 and is rapidly drawn back along the outside of the selected grou of needles and is retired back inside the circle shortly before the needles reach the throat plate 559. 1

When it is time to suspend patterning for any reason the thrust rod 460 is raised bycams 501 projecting cam disc and pushing radially outward the pins 29 of all fingers located in proximity to the needle circle. This outward pressure on the pins definitely retires the feeding ends of those fingers inside the needle circle and all the pattern yarns are thus kept away from the selected needles. The selection of needles can be stopped by retiring radially outward all the selecting cams 3fi.' p

The path of oscillation of the fingers about their individual pivot points is in the plane 7 of the needle circle i. e., in a plane substantially parallel to that described by the needle hooks when all are at the same level.

lhe invention is not necessarily limited to one in which the common axis of the fingers points of said fingers in a radial direction.

for the purpose of oscillating said fingers about their pivots in the lane of the needle circle, the path of said ngers intersecting the needle circle. k

2. A circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and striping yarn "fingers arranged about a common axis within said cylinder individual pivot points for said fingers permitting the latter to oscillate in the plane of the needle circle, pins projecting vertically from the tails of said fingers, and cam means partly overlying said pivot points adapted to oscillate the fingers about their pivot points by forcing the pins across the circle described by the pivot points.

3. Mechanism according to claim 1 in which the yarn fingers have as their common axis a spindle revolving turn for turn with the needle cylinder in which the needles are carried, the pins in said fingers lying outside the circle formed by the pivot points during only part of the movement of said pins.

4. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder together with a series of pattern yarn fingers revolving about a common axis within said cylinder and each finger having its own pivot point, said fingers each having a feeding end and a tail and a pin in said tail projecting vertically out of the plane of said tail and cam means adapted to give said pins radial movement across the circle described by the pivot points, each pin being closer to the pivot point of its finger than the feeding end and so located during the movement of the feeding end across the needle circle that it oscillates in the neighborhood of the circle described by the pivot points.

5. A circular knittingmachine having a revolving needle cylinder and a series of pat.- tern yarn 'fingers' revolving about a common axis within the needle cylinder, each finger being pivoted for oscillation about an indi vidual pivot and the feeding ends of the fingers being adapted to intersect the needle circle, tails on said fingers and stationary cam means adapted during the rotation of the yarn fingers to cross the circle described by the pivot points, the points of contact'between the tails of said fingers and said cam means being approximately on the circle described by the pivot points.

6. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a plurality of pattern yarn fingers revolving about a common axis within said needle circle, each finger being pivoted about its own individual axis and the revolution of the fingers about their common axisbeing in time with the revolution of the needle cylinder, tails onsaid pat tern yarn fingers and cam means composed of a plurality of cams adapted to at least in part cross the circledescribed by the pivot points of said fingers, one of said cams being movable radially outward to engage the tails of some of the fingers for the purpose of pressing the feeding ends of said fingers radially inward.

.7. In a circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder and a plurality of pattern yarn fingers revolving about a common axis within said cylinder and in time therewith, tails and feeding ends on said individual fingers having individual pivot points, spring means tending to press said tails radially inward, said tails and feeding ends being so located that such pressure tends to push the feeding ends radially outward across the needle circle in combination with expansible cam means adapted to overlie the aivot points of said fingers and to retire said fingers inside said needle circle by pressing said tails radially outward.

8. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder and a plurality of pattern yarn fingers revolving a out a common axis located within said cylinder and each having its own individual pivot point, the path of the feeding ends of the yarn fingers intersecting said needle circle, and means for causing vertical selection of needles in combination with pins projecting vertically from the tails of said fingers and cam means adapted to cause oscillation of said fingers about their individual pivot points in the plane of the needle circle by pressing against said pins, said pivot points, pins and cam means being so located that when said feeding ends are swung radially inward said pins are outside the circle formed by said pivot )OlIltS.

' 9. n a mechanism accordin to claim 8 the location of the pins of said ngers closer to the pivot points than the feeding ends, and spring means acting on said pins tending to ress same radially inward.

10- n a circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder a plurality of pattern yarn fingers eccentrically located within the needle cylinder but revolving turn for turn therewith, vertical individual pivot points for said fingers adapted to increase the circumferential travel of the feeding ends of the fingers and tails on said fingers located in the neighborhood of the circle formed by said pivot points in combination with cam means adapted to cause movement of the .feeding ends of said fingers along the needle circle by pushing said pins outwardly beyond the circle formed by the pivot points and means adapted to hold said pins in contact with said cam means.

11. In a mechanism according to claim 10,

the provision of a movable cam disc ada ted V, to be moved radially outward until all 0 the pins are outside the circle formed by the pivot points, the feeding ends of the fingers being located inside the needle circle for the purpose of preventing the pattern.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES L. GETAZ: 

